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Future New York

Forena: Historic Chelsea corner gives way to Morris Adjmi-designed condo, Site once home to Moscot, Gay Liberation Front, and Merce Cunningham's first studio

Updated 11/23/2020 with new photography

Twenty-five years ago, who would have thought the western end of 14th Street would be a locus for high-end residential development? Partly thanks to the nearby Google's New York headquarters, the High Line and Chelsea Market, the thoroughfare at the junction of Greenwich Village, Chelsea, and the Meatpacking District has seen more than a dozen new condo buildings in recent years. Now one more is on its way with Förena, courtesy of Landsea Homes and DNA Development.
640-Sixth-Avenue Jed Lowry of Landsea Homes with the team from Morris Adjmi Architects via Dominick Mull

In this article:

Forena, 540 Sixth Avenue
Forena, 540 Sixth Avenue Chelsea
101 West 14th Street
101 West 14th Street Chelsea
540 Sixth Avenue Drawings submitted to the NYC DOB that provide the general shape of the project
In November 2019, members of the project team were on hand to break ground on the 50-unit development at 540 Sixth Avenue, anchoring the northeast corner of West 14th Street and Sixth Avenue. The reinforced concrete structure has topped out construction at 12 stories high. While renderings are still not available, its designer, Morris Adjmi Architects, is a firm known for its respect of historic NYC neighborhoods.
540-Sixth-Avenue-05 540 Sixth Avenue circa 1980's via Landmarks Preservation Commission
The development is a joint venture between Landsea and DNA, which purchased the assemblage of four-story buildings from Extell Development Company for $52.8 million in 2018. A Moscot outpost was among them, and would move across the street to 555 Sixth Avenue. The site also enjoyed a rich history as the home to Merce Cunningham's first dance studio on the top floor, an outpost of Gay Liberation Front, which shortly after the Stonewall rebellion in June 1969, and the home of Alternate U., a counterculture school and political organizing center.
540-Sixth-Avenue Forena circa fall 2020 via CityRealty
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540 Sixth Avneue Google Earth aerial showing location of project site
Förena will ultimately contain 50 one- through three-bedroom units with floor-to-ceiling windows, and the majority will have private outdoor space. Amenities will include a garden terrace, roof terrace, lounge, exercise room, bike room, and storage. Sales were expected to begin in spring 2020, but the pandemic has delayed the overall timeline. An offering plan filed in February 2020 lists a $126.85 million sellout.
Förena is taking shape in a particularly exciting area at the junction of three of the city’s most interesting neighborhoods. Residents will benefit from the city’s now-permanent pilot program limiting automobile access on 14th Street. It is also going up amidst a small building boom - just across the street at 101 West 14th Street, a tectonic glass condo designed by ODA Architects is winding down construction and gearing up to launch sales from $1.25 million.
101 West 14th Street and Forena (July 2020)
540-Sixth-Avenue-1 (l-r) Allen Jiang, EB-5 Associate LS; Ka Ho, Manager, Sales and Escrow LS; Kevin Murray, VP Development, NY Metro Landsea; John Ho, CEO Landsea ;Mike Forsum, COO Landsea; Jill Preschel, VP Sales and Marketing, NY Metro Landsea; Elizabeth Way, Mack; David Berger, DNA; Daniel Kimmel, Financial Analyst, Landsea; Jed Lowry, VP Finance Landsea; Alex Sachs, DNA; Paul Lee, CIO, Landsea; Steven Cohen, Project Manager, Landsea; Chester Gu, VP, Landsea; Christina Stamos, Analyst, Sales and Marketing, Landsea; Tom Parker, Director of Construction, Landsea

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